Sylvain
|fullname = Sylvain Jose Gautier |jap_fullname = |alias = |jap_alias = |gender = Male |race = Human |birthday =June 5 |fod_birth =5th of the Garland Moon Imperial Year 1160 |relatives = Gautier (Ancestor) Margrave Gautier (Father) Miklan (Elder brother) |game = Fire Emblem: Three Houses |firstseen =Chapter 1: Three Houses |class = Noble |mirage = |voiceby = Joe Brogie |jap_voiceby = Makoto Furukawa |nationality = Holy Kingdom of Faerghus |home = Margravate of Gautier |faction(s) = Blue Lions |occupation(s) = Student at the Officers Academy Heir of House Gautier |age = 19/20 (Pre-timeskip) 24 (Post-timeskip)|residence = Garreg Mach Monastery|firstjoined = Chapter 1: Three Houses (If the Blue Lions are chosen)|firstfought = Chapter 7: Field of the Eagle and Lion (If the Blue Lions aren't chosen)}} Sylvain is a playable character that appears in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Sylvain is a student at the Officers Academy who hails from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and is a member of the Blue Lions. He possesses a minor Crest of Gautier. He is 19 years old at the start of the game. Profile Early life Sylvain was born as the second son of Margrave Gautier in the Imperial Year 1160. He had one older brother Miklan, who was disinherited by House Gautier, as it is required for the family head to bear a Crest. Miklan was jealous of Sylvain and attempted to kill him numerous times. Despite Miklan's aggressiveness towards him, Sylvain understood why his brother loathed him. He grew up with his childhood friends Dimitri, Felix, and Ingrid. Academy phase Sylvain enrolls in Garreg Mach Monastery Officers Academy in Imperial Year 1180, and joins the Blue Lions. During the Verdant Rain Moon of 1180, Byleth's class was tasked with subduing a bandit group led by his older brother Miklan, whom had stolen House Gautier's Hero's Relic, the Lance of Ruin. If he is being taught by Byleth, he can be among the forces confronting his brother. Should the two meet in battle, Miklan expresses his lifelong contempt for Sylvain inheriting the Crest of Gautier. Sylvain retorts that it was never his fault that he inherited the crest nor that their family effectively disowned him. He is horrified when his brother transforms into a Demonic Beast, but with the assistance of Byleth and his classmates, his brother is defeated. While he somewhat laments his fallen brother's death, he reclaims the Lance of Ruin. Back at the monastery, the Lance is given to Rhea in order to return to House Gautier. Alternatively, Byleth can refuse to give it to her as Sylvain has received permission by his father, Margrave Gautier, to keep the lance as its rightful wielder. Rhea bequeaths the lance to him under the condition that he uses it wisely in service to the Church and Monastery. Paralogue In the aftermath of his brother's death, his brother's former bandit group continue to pillage local villages in the Gautier region. Sylvain's father tasks him to rid the bandit group on his own as a test. Sylvain requests the help of Byleth and their class. Their combined force dispatches the bandits. Having seeing his son's worth, Margrave Gautier bequeaths the Lance of Ruin to Sylvain should have not kept it earlier. War phase Azure Moon Sylvain reunites with Dimitri, Byleth and the other Blue Lions students when they fend off the thieves in the monastery. Gilbert reveals that the now Faerghus Dukedom is on the verge of collapse due to Cornelia letting the Empire take over the western part of Faerghus. House Gautier is one of the houses standing against the Empire, with Sylvain assisting in their rebellion. After defeating the Imperial forces attempting to retake the monastery, the Kingdom army meets to discuss their next plans. When Dimitri states that they will march to the Imperial capital, Sylvain opposes his plan, stating that trying to appease the dead will only weaken his fighting skills. When Lord Arundel reveals that Edelgard and Dimitri are family before dying at Deirdru, Sylvain realizes that she was the girl who Dimitri gave the dagger to and teases him for it, calling her his "little girlfriend". Once the Kingdom army takes Fort Merceus, Dimitri receives a letter from Margrave Gautier saying that the conflict within Faerghus has ceased and that he is gathering the military forces to send troops and supplies to the monastery. Sylvain commends his father's efforts and asks if he is well. After Edelgard is defeated and Fodlan is united under Dimitri's rule, Sylvain becomes the new Margrave of Gautier and dedicates himself to create a new lifestyle for the nobles where relics and crests are no longer necessary. Crimson Flower If Sylvain was recruited by the player during the Academy Phase, he will accept a commission to become an Imperial army general, believing in the Professor more than he does in his House and country. He expresses concern that he would have to face Dimitri in battle, knowing that he loathes the Empire, but decides to see it through with the Professor to the end. He may fight Felix, Ingrid and Dimitri, with the latter two expressing shock in his betrayal, though in Ingrid's case, he defends his actions. If he was not recruited, then he answers Dimitri's call for assistance at Tailtean Plains, and is one of the enemy commanders that must be fought. If male Byleth battles him, he states that he will celebrate his reappearance with his death; if female Byleth battles him, then he expresses regret for not having tried to woo her five years ago, and that he must kill her now. Felix and Ingrid may also fight him respectively; in the case of the formor, two disavow their promise they made in their childhood, while in the latter he tries to get Ingrid to stand down to no avail. Regardless, he is eventually killed in battle, in his dying words stating that he was such a fool. Personality Caring for his friends and admired as an older brother figure in his class, Sylvain is a perpetual skirt-chaser and often attempts to woo women with sweet words to a fault, with the most notable example including Ingrid's grandmother when he was only eight. He is fond of women but his easygoing, shallow, womanizing behavior stems from the fact that he feels unable to form proper romances, and so he dates around without any particular commitment. This does lead him into trouble (which Ingrid reluctantly has to help him resolve) and misunderstandings, such as Flayn insisting on avoiding him out of his notoriety, whereas Sylvain only wanted to pass along a message from Byleth. As the game progresses, Sylvain decides to make a change for himself by being who he is, and not what his Crest dictates him to be. This is shown in his S-Support with female Byleth where he proposes to her, which she accepts after some initial hesitation. In his ending with Dorothea he ends up having to propose to her 10 times to show he was serious, only gaining her hand in marriage by stating that he would be with her to the end. In the event that he is married, he becomes a caring husband and treats all of his children equally, regardless if they bear Crests or not. Despite the impression he gives off to people he's actually quite intelligent, being shown to easily grasp complicated magic formulas at a glance when magic isn't even one of his areas of expertise, which is referenced in his budding talent of Reason. In his supports with Annette it is seen that he intentionally leads people to think he is not very smart because he dislikes the pressure of people's expectations and them believing they know what he is capable of, saying he finds it suffocating. In his supports with Dedue, Sylvain explains why he thinks the Tragedy of Duscur wasn't truly committed by the people of Duscur, as Duscur and Faerghus had enjoyed good relations up until that point and the fact that the king's elite guard was effortlessly slaughtered, a feat not plausible for a smaller, less skilled military. Sylvain holds a strong level of disdain for the way Crests influence the lives of those in Fódlan, with a bulk of his dialogue throughout the story focusing on their negative impact, and showing sympathy and envy in his supports with Mercedes and Byleth respectively. Furthermore, he holds noble women in contempt, as he believes they show interest in him solely due to his Crest in an attempt to curry favor with him without actually getting to know him. Despite this, in conversations with Byleth, Sylvain admits that hating women is merely an "easy answer" and seems to recognize that he cannot blame them for all his problems. It is because of his Crest that he had a rough childhood with Miklan, though he did not hold grudge against his brother because he already knew the reason behind his aggression. Following Miklan's death however, Sylvain only held pity for him. In-Game Base Stats As an Enemy Combat at Tailtean Plains Growth Rates |55% |45% |30% |35% |50% |35% |40% |25% |40% |} Maximum Stats |98 |65 |42 |48 |70 |49 |56 |38 |57 |} Learnt Magic |D |Fire |Heal |- |D+ | - |Nosferatu |- |C |Bolganone |Physic |- |C+ | - | - |- |B |Sagittae |Seraphim |- |B+ | - | - |- |A | Ragnarok | - |- |A+ | - | - |} Recruitment Sylvain requires male Byleth to have 25 Charm and a Reason Proficiency C to be recruited out of the Blue Lions house. Forming a C Rank Support lowers the Reason Proficiency requirement to D+, and forming a B Rank Support lowers it further to D. If Byleth is female, Sylvain will immediately accept a transfer to her class starting in Chapter 2, regardless of her current Charm stat and Reason proficiency. Overall Sylvain is similar to Ferdinand and Leonie in that he is a well-rounded physical fighter who does his best in cavalry roles. They each have similar growth rates, though Sylvain has better magic growth than Ferdinand or Leonie and a budding talent in Reason, along with a better spell list. These come at a slight cost in luck and dexterity. Sylvain also has a Crest of Gautier, improving his Mt when using Combat Arts. This allows him to deal impressive bonus damage without needing to sacrifice more weapon durability when doing so. It also allows him to use the full power of the Lance of Ruin by using the exclusive Combat Art Ruined Sky, which deals massive damage to Dragon and Flying Units. Given Sylvain's unique budding talent and middling magic growth, he can be a decent choice as a Dark Knight, but he won't deal magic damage that can compete with dedicated mages. Additionally, going as a Dark Knight means giving up Lancefaire, which can hinder his physical damage. He can, however, take physical hits much better than other options such as Lysithea and Annette, and his strengths in Lances and Riding make it much easier for him to train for the class than his competition. If training him to be a Dark Knight, it is advised for him to temporarily be classed as a Mage to get access to Fiendish Blow to offset his lower magic stat. Great Knight makes for a viable alternative thanks to Sylvain's strength in Axes and Lances, though it will require setting Heavy Armor as one of his goals, and will come at a significant cost in Speed. Sylvain's only skill weakness is in Bows, which isn't a problem for him and should not hinder him from getting to any classes he may want. While the most logical path would be to make him a Cavalier and then Paladin, doing so can result in his Speed being penalized, as both classes will reduce his Speed growth by 10%. If one wishes to make him more of a physical character, making him a Brigand, Wyvern Rider, and Wyvern Lord are all good choices, though he might take a little while to train up his Flying skill. Classing him as a Brigand is advisable in any event, as it gives him Death Blow when mastered. Overall, Sylvain is considered one of the best characters in the Blue Lion House as well as in the entire game. He is a unit worth picking up in every playthrough due to his high growths in multiple stats. He can be inconsistent in how he grows, but his flexibility allows him to be molded into a wealth of classes no matter how his stats increase. Supports *Byleth (S-Support with female Byleth) *Dimitri *Dedue *Felix *Ashe *Mercedes *Annette *Ingrid *Bernadetta *Dorothea *Lorenz *Lysithea *Marianne *Hilda *Leonie *Flayn *Manuela Quotes :Sylvain/Quotes Possible Endings Sylvain - Sincerest of Knights :As Margrave Gautier, Sylvain devoted his life to improving relations with the people of the Sreng region. With oration alone, he succeeded in helping to create a new way of life for nobles in which Relics and Crests were no longer viewed as necessary. Though he went down in history as an extraordinary lord, it nevertheless became customary to refer to cheaters as "sons of Gautier." Sylvain and Byleth (Azure Moon) : After becoming the new archbishop of the Church of Seiros, Byleth announced her marriage to Sylvain, heir to House Gautier. Sylvain was a valued ally who assisted his wife in her new role, both publicly and privately. He achieved a great deal, including fostering relations with Faerghus and helping to institute sweeping organizational changes within the church. Though known as a philanderer in youth, Sylvain happily settled down after marriage. By the time he inherited the title of Margrave Gautier, he was a gentle and devoted husband. It is said that those who knew him in his youth wondered what sort of spell the archbishop had cast on him. Sylvain and Byleth (Crimson Flower) : When the fighting was over, Byleth and Sylvain were married. As the new leaders of House Gautier, they focused their efforts on the restoration of northern Fódlan, which had been deeply scarred by the ravages of war. Once this task was complete, they set their sights on improving relations with the Sreng people in an effort to remove the perceived need for the power of Crests. This accomplishment took a great deal of hard work, but the two refused to give up on their ideals. In time, the two had a large and loving family. They lived happily and loved their children equally, regardless of whether or not they bore a Crest. Sylvain and Byleth (Verdant Wind / Silver Snow) : After ascending the throne as the first leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, Byleth announced her marriage to Sylvain, who had become the new Margrave Gautier. Sylvain was a valued ally who assisted his wife in her new role, both publicly and privately. Most of all, it is said that his cunning manner of speech was a great asset for fostering relations between the Church of Seiros, Fódlan, and surrounding regions. Though known as a philanderer in youth, Sylvain happily settled down after marriage and became a gentle and devoted husband and father. The two had many children whom they doted on equally, regardless of whether or not they bore a Crest. Sylvain and Dorothea : After more than 10 proposals, Dorothea finally relented and agreed to marry Sylvain. Together they inherited Gautier territory. With the support of his wife's counsel, the new Margrave Gautier was able to improve relations with the Sreng people, and thereby convince the local nobles that Relics and Crests were no longer an absolute requirement for survival. Due to their efforts, they went down in history as an extraordinary lord and lady. It is said that what finally convinced Dorothea to marry Sylvain was his promise that they would grow old happily together, and that he was true to his word. Sylvain and Felix (Azure Moon) : After the war, Felix and Sylvain inherited their respective titles of Duke Fraldarius and Margrave Gautier, and set to work restoring the Kingdom. Each led a busy life, but that only seemed to enhance their friendship over the years. Each became known for making surprise visits to the estate of the other, in order to deliver the latest taunting in a friendly but relentless game of one-upmanship. It is said that, in their later years, they became so close that they passed away on the same day, as if conceding that one could not live without the other. Sylvain and Felix (Other routes) : Even after the war's end, skirmishes continued to break out across Fódlan. Learning that there were still places where he could fight, Felix abandoned his noble title and chose to make a living with his sword. Decades later, he reunited briefly with Sylvain, who had need of his services as Margrave Gautier. Felix departed as soon as the job was finished, however, and the two never met again. Years later, a sword that was thought to have belonged to Felix arrived on Sylvain's doorstep. Sylvain and Mercedes : As Margrave Gautier, Sylvain devoted his life to improving relations with the people of Sreng. Under his leadership, nobles were persuaded that Relics and Crests were not necessary as they'd previously thought. Though he went down in history as an extraordinary lord, he could not have done so without the constant support and counsel of his wife, Mercedes, whose wisdom and guidance brought prosperity to the people. The couple built a loving home life, surrounded by happy children, and when Sylvain at last passed away, he was succeeded by his oldest child, who bore no Crest. Sylvain and Ingrid : As Margrave Gautier, Sylvain devoted his life to improving relations with the people of Sreng. Under his leadership, nobles were persuaded that Relics and Crests were not necessary as they'd previously thought. Though he went down in history as an extraordinary lord, he could not have done so without the constant support and counsel of his wife, Ingrid, whose wisdom and tenacity ensured that the people would prosper. Sylvain was ever loyal to his beloved wife. The couple had many children, and while not one of them bore a Crest, they were all equally and wholeheartedly loved. Non-Canon Appearances ''Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher) Sylvain is illustrated in the trading card game ''Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards: Etymology Sylvain is the French form of the Latin name Silvanus, which means "of the woods." It may also refer to the Roman deity who protects field and forest. José is the French, Spanish, and Portuguese form of the Hebrew given name Joseph ("Jehovah shall increase"). Gautier is a French variant of the German name Walter ("ruler of the army"); the most prominent figures to bear the name is a Saint who founded a monastery for women and a minstrel known for his crass and erotic poetry. Trivia * Sylvain shares his English voice actor, Joe Brogie, with Linus. * Sylvain has a unique post-timeskip battle model as a Cavalier and Paladin. *Sylvain stands at 186cm (or about 6’1”). *Sylvain has the third-smallest pool of A supports in the game, with only four discounting Byleth. He only surpasses Gilbert (with two) and Jeritza (with one); both of whom are route-exclusives. *Excluding Byleth, Sylvain is tied with Lysithea and Bernadetta for the highest number of support chains with 17 total. *Sylvain is one of the characters to receive a Hero's Relic during the main story as a playable character but is optional. The others are Byleth, Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude. *In cutscenes after the timeskip, the outfit Sylvain wears is his unique take on that of Paladins. *His English C-Support with Ingrid differs from the original Japanese, in the former he flirts with a "scarecrow" while in the latter he hits on a "man dressed as a woman." *In a survey conducted by Nintendo DREAM Magazine, Sylvain placed 10th with 9.1% of the vote overall and ranked 9th with 11.5% among those who completed the game in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The male-female vote ratio was 1:2. *In the second survey conducted by Nintendo DREAM Magazine, Sylvain placed 5th in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The male-female vote ratio was 1:3. He ranked 5th among those who completed the game with 191 points. *In a survey conducted by Famitsu Magazine, Sylvain placed 4th for males and 8th overall with 913 votes in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. *In the third survey conducted by Nintendo DREAM Magazine, Sylvain placed 5th in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The male-female vote ratio was 1:3. He ranked 5th among those who completed the game with 172 points. *In the fourth survey conducted by Nintendo DREAM Magazine, Sylvain placed 5th in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The male-female vote ratio was 1:4. He ranked 5th among those who completed the game with 110 points. *In the fifth survey conducted by Nintendo DREAM Magazine, Sylvain placed 6th in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The male-female vote ratio was 1:4. He ranked 6th among those who completed the game with 16.7% of the vote. *In the fourth Fire Emblem Heroes: Choose Your Legends popularity poll, Sylvain ranked 10th place for males with 9,132 votes. Gallery Category:Fire Emblem: Three Houses Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Playable characters Category:Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher) Characters